Decoying the Sun
by EtherealTwilight
Summary: Squall, as commander, must lead Garden into war against an enemy that was once thought of as ally. Unbeknownst to the commander, he was being lead into a trap designed to take away the only thing he had ever truly needed. Squinoa.
1. Plan of Action

Disclaimer: I own nothing, it all belongs to the almighty Squaresoft Chapter 1 Plan of Action  
  
Squall paced the large room in which he now worked, awaiting the arrival of the retired headmaster of Balamb Garden. His footsteps echoed on the marble floor, while his many belts chinked together. He knew perfectly well that the balding man would be of no help to him, but asked for his counsel anyway.  
  
Rinoa walked into the spacious office and cleared her throat to get Squall's attention. "Eh-hem."  
  
Squall looked up quickly and angrily to see who had interrupted his concentration, but his expression softened as he saw Rinoa at the door. "Um, Cid has arrived, if you're ready."  
  
Squall took a long sip of the strong black coffee that filled his mug. He was extremely tired, which was actually quite normal for him, and had gotten a slight caffeine addiction. The young man looked up at the raven- haired girl at the door and said, "Send him in," knowing that Cid would probably frustrate him more than help him.  
  
Cid walked into the office, which he had known so well in his earlier years. His gaze traveled over the pictures on the walls, from previous headmasters to pictures of the cities and towns of their world, Gaea. Squall greeted the man with a formal salute and offered him a chair. Cid looked at Squall sternly, as he always did, and took the proffered chair.  
  
"Mr. Leonhart, I trust that all has been well at the Garden since my retirement?"  
  
'Yeah,' thought the now eighteen year-old. 'More like since your abandonment.'  
  
Squall sat down in his leather armchair behind his desk and flipped searchingly through his papers, even though he knew exactly what he wanted to ask the man about.  
  
"Well, I assume you know the situation between SeeD and Esthar at the moment." Squall began.  
  
Cid looked at Squall and, with a curt nod, replied, "Yes, I am familiar with the situation."  
  
Squall proceeded, "Well, then you know that SeeD has been accused by the Esthar government.  
  
"Officials of Esthar claim that the SeeD organization is corrupt and is no longer of any use to the people of Gaea," Squall recited. "Esthar is beginning to turn away any SeeD who comes to the city. In one incident, an Esthar soldier and an out of line SeeD had a violent confrontation, in which the soldier was killed and the SeeD member arrested by the Esthar government, who refuses to release him. We have tried to bargain, but to no avail."  
  
Squall looked up from the worn document that described the situation, making sure that the silent man was still alive. "The most recent development has been a threat to our own Garden, directed towards us by President Loire himself. We have." Squall began, though he was cut off mid- sentence.  
  
"Loire, but he has supported you and the Garden whole-heartedly," he stated, surprised. Squall looked up, angry that he had been interrupted. "Will you let me finish please?" he asked with mock courtesy.  
  
"Continue," said Cid in his usual commandeering voice. "I just thought that it was odd that your own fath-," "Enough," breathed Squall, trying not to get too angry with the man.  
  
'All he does is state the obvious, huh?' Squall thought. 'Of course it is a little odd. The bumbling fool had sought to rekindle our father-son relationship, but has directed a threat to me personally.'  
  
"I will continue. The threat was against myself, an ultimatum. I had to either turn over the sorceress or suffer the consequences of an attack." Squall looked up. "Any thoughts?" he added.  
  
Cid stared at Squall for long moments. "Well, what have you chosen to do?" he asked seriously.  
  
Squall's frustration and anger increased. "I'll give you three guesses of what I decided," he said with bitter sarcasm.  
  
Cid, looking grave, said "Well, I suppose you plan to protect the girl, very chivalric, but I believe a better choice for the Garden's sake would be to." he trailed off.  
  
Angrily, Squall smashed a button on his phone. "Please arrange a vehicle for Mr. Kramer. He will be leaving," he said to the administrative office. After receiving a concerned reply from Rinoa, he viciously got up from his chair and tore Cid's coat from the rack.  
  
"Squall, listen to me," Cid reasoned. "Rinoa is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She is a sorceress, unbelievable abilities, and is a very strong person. I don't know if Balamb Garden can defend against Esthar, especially if they pick up allies."  
  
"Good-bye," Squall said bluntly and unemotionally to Cid, who looked down and shook his head upon leaving. Slamming the door shut, the brunette went to his desk and looked through his notes. His eyes stopped on the threat letter.  
  
Squall: Turn over the Sorceress to the Esthar government and the Garden shall be spared. Think rationally, son. Do not be a fool!  
~Loire  
  
The letter disgusted Squall. It made the situation seem as if Laguna was a parent scolding a misbehaving child. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in deep thought.  
  
He hadn't gotten much sleep lately, and at the moment, his exhaustion outweighed his rage. Rinoa opened the door quietly and stepped inside. Squall looked up unhappily, forcing his eyes open, having been on the verge of sleep.  
  
"Hi grumpy," she said as she walked in and sat in the chair previously occupied Cid.  
  
"Rough time?" she asked tentatively after a few minutes, afraid of setting off his temper.  
  
"Hmm," Squall grunted. Rinoa smiled. "Come here," she beckoned to him with her finger, her chocolate eyes sparkling.  
  
"Make me," Squall yawned. He eventually got up reluctantly and went to where Rinoa was standing. "You are going to bed mister.you look so tired." She said as her hand brushed his cheek, pushing aside locks of dark chestnut hair. He bent down and kissed her softly on her lips. "There, now can I go to bed?" he whispered as she led him out of his office and down to the dorm area, him nodding off all the way.  
  
Outside of his room Squall stopped Rinoa and forced a smile. "Thanks for escorting me to my room, I don't think I could have done it myself."  
  
"I'll see you in a bit," she said, ignoring his sarcastic remark. He smiled and walked into his dorm.  
  
Rinoa walked into her room and lied down in her small bed. 'I wonder why Squall has been so.weird around me lately. He keeps acting like his old self. Maybe its because of the problem with Esthar,' Rinoa worried. 'What is going on!'  
  
The next day at lunch, Squall sat by Irvine and Zell. As much as they annoyed him, he always seemed to come back and hang around them. Though he wouldn't admit it, even to himself, Squall enjoyed their company.  
  
"I am so hungry!" announced Zell, as he attacked his hot dog. Irvine looked at Zell, at his own hot dog, and back to Zell. He put his hands around his hot dog protectively. "Hey, ya gonna eat that?" asked Zell as he grabbed Squall's hot dog. Squall got his hands out of the way as well, afraid that Zell might eat them, too, in his haste.  
  
"Uh-oh," said Irvine as he looked over at where the girls were sitting at the other side of the cafeteria. "They're talking about us." Irvine kept waving at Selphie, who enthusiastically returned his sweet gesture by blowing him kisses. Irvine pretended to catch them, moving some to his mouth and pocketing others. 'What a sap,' Squall thought as he gazed over at where Irvine was looking.  
  
It was true, and they were making no secret about it. Rinoa, Selphie, and Quistis were all hunched over their table, glancing in the direction of the men every few minutes. Rinoa looked concerned, and Squall wondered if she was talking about him. He shrugged, pretending not to care. 'I have other problems,' he thought as he got up and made his way to the trashcan.  
  
"I'm just so worried about him," Rinoa said to Selphie and Quistis. "He hasn't been sleeping well, and he seems so cold and unhappy." "Uhh, excuse me, but, have you met Squall, that is how he acts all the time," Selphie said lightly, poking at her salad with her fork. "Well, he did seem to be getting more friendly, but just when this Esthar thing picked up." added Quistis, who looked down at her tray of raw vegetables in disgust. "Uggh, forget eating healthy," she said as she stood up. "Do you guys want some hot dogs?"  
  
  
  
Squall planned to attack Esthar before they could attack the Garden. "Might as well not delay the inevitable," he had said. As he had explained to Instructors, they would attack during the afternoon, and only ambush the presidential palace. Otherwise, they were to move through the city undercover, all attacking at the same time three days after getting into Esthar. Besides this ground unit, another unit, the air unit, would fly in through the Ragnarok. The more experienced SeeDs would be the Ground unit, and the younger ones would be the Air unit. They had to start soon.  
  
After explaining the rough plan to the instructors, who would each be leaders of junior classmen defensive groups, Squall made the announcement to the Garden. All junior classmen were to stay in the Garden and train to hold up a proper defense, along with a few SeeDs.  
  
Squall sat in his office, trying to think of what the casualties might be, when Rinoa walked in. "Geez.you've been busy," she said, looking at the stacks of papers that littered his desk. Squall looked at the papers without interest, still deep in thought about the estimated casualties.  
  
"Squall.why are you attacking Esthar?" Rinoa questioned, wondering if he was sensitive about the question, "I know he was going against SeeD, but..."  
  
"He brought this on himself," stated Squall, matter-of-factly. "The threat was." Squall stopped, not wanting Rinoa to know about what was in the letter.  
  
Rinoa stood still and searched Squall's exhausted face for answers. "There was a threat?" inquired Rinoa. "What does he want?"  
  
Squall's gaze traveled to Rinoa's questioning eyes, which were begging the question, 'why didn't you tell me'. She then realized that the only reason he wouldn't tell her was if it had something to do with her. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out the worn paper that the tormenting message was written on.  
  
Rinoa took the letter from Squall. "You'll understand why I didn't announce this to the Garden," Squall explained. She looked at the paper's smooth surface, and began to read.  
  
After she finished reading, Rinoa looked up at Squall's downcast face. "What does he want with me?" she wondered out loud. Ever since she had gotten her sorceress powers, she had done her best to not let them interfere with her life. 'Maybe that wasn't the best thing to do,' she thought, 'but I never wanted them cause something this drastic to occur, not after I was nearly sealed. Well, again they are becoming a problem!' she thought angrily.  
  
"I have to stop this," Rinoa said as Squall stood up and began to lead her out the door. "Why did you hide this from me!" she turned on Squall. He looked up, startled that she was angry at him.  
  
"I was trying to protect you. I didn't want you to go off and turn yourself in to the Esthar government." Squall looked down, embarrassed to show an emotion besides anger and gloom.  
  
"Well," she countered, "what if I could have stopped the war from occurring. You might not lose any SeeD! What is one life versus the lives of hundreds of SeeDs?!" she practically screamed, the anger of the past few days welling up inside of her. She showed no concern over her own safety, which disturbed Squall  
  
"That one life is your life!" Squall yelled. "I couldn't even think." Squall stopped, realizing he was letting his passion control his actions, one thing he had been taught never to do.  
  
"Anyways," he continued, more sensibly, "the reason he wants you is because you are a sorceress, which means he wants to use your power in some way. As SeeD, I cannot allow that to occur."  
  
Rinoa was shocked at his sudden change of character. First, he was so passionate, then, he was like a machine. Well, he wasn't too emotional, but more than he usually was "Okay." she replied weakly. She began walking away, but turned around and stared at him.  
  
"I thought that you had changed," she stated ruefully. "I suppose you can't be helped, can you, Squall? Always hiding your emotions. You are impossible!" At her last statement, she growled in frustration and buried her head in her hands.  
  
Squall looked at her bitterly. "Well, maybe I'm not who you thought I was."  
  
Rinoa looked at Squall in desperation, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. "I just want you to be truthful with me, to tell me how you feel and not snap at me when I ask about your day and trust me and smile.  
  
Squall felt far too helpless to be comfortable. "You're treating me like a child," he said gloomily and began to walk out into the deserted hall outside of his office. Through the halls massive windows, the large moon was visible in the otherwise dark hall. Rinoa ran to catch up with Squall, pulling his shoulder and twisting him around to face her. She held his arms and forced him to face her by pushing him against one of the strong windows with surprising strength.  
  
The pale moonlight reflected off of her wet face, making her look like a sorrowful angel with her black hair contrasting her white face.  
  
"Please, why do you torture me when all I want is your love?" pleaded Rinoa. Being pinned against the wall, Squall had little choice but to come up with an explanation.  
  
"Rinoa." he murmured with a complete loss of words, his tongue feeling like a lead weight in his mouth.  
  
At that moment there was an unspoken understanding between the young lovers. The trust they had in each other had wavered, but returned as strongly as ever. Squall didn't have to explain his insecurities to Rinoa, she knew. And Rinoa didn't have to explain her frustration with his lack emotion, because he knew as well.  
  
Rinoa smiled a small smile and kissed Squall softly and passionately. Squall kissed back with a little more hunger and put his arms around her lower back. Rinoa moved her hands up his chest and around his neck, pushing her soft, small body against his hard, muscular one. She grabbed his collar and pulled him toward the office. As soon as they were inside the office door, they began kissing more passionately. Rinoa moved her hands beneath his shirt and started rubbing his chest as Squall began trailing kisses down the side of her neck to her collarbone. Rinoa gave a soft moan and Squall moved his kisses back to her lips.  
  
They walked back into his office and lied on the red velvet couch in each other's arms.  
  
"I'm sorry," began Squall. "I-,"  
  
"Don't worry," Rinoa relieved Squall of his worry. She was relaxed in his arms, comfortable and secure, and slightly drowsy. After a few moments, Squall swallowed his fear and doubt and whispered the three words she had wanted to hear from him so desperately.  
  
"I love you," he said nervously, awaiting a response. Rinoa giggled and turned to kiss him, their passion, again, growing. "I love you," she returned as their clothes fell to the floor.  
  
The two woke in the morning to find that they were late for work, not that it mattered, they were in Squall's office.  
  
"Good morning," yawned Rinoa, as she smiled at Squall, joy overfilling her.  
  
Squall smiled back. "Good morning. How'd you sleep?" he grinned.  
  
"Oh, really well, when I finally got around to sleeping," Rinoa grinned back and kissed Squall after whispering "I love you" into his ear. "I love you, too," he said back, hugging her. "I think we should get up." Squall said, noticing that their clothes had been picked up and replaced with new, fresh outfits.  
  
"I suppose that everyone knows," Rinoa whispered, poking Squall in the stomach as they got up from the couch and began dressing.  
  
"Yeah, well, you don't have to face the guys," Squall joked. Rinoa giggled and turned to Squall. She was surprised at how easily he became light and friendly.  
  
"So tomorrow's the day you attack, huh?" she asked, suddenly turning serious.  
  
Squall looked down, finishing buckling his belt. He had forgotten about the attack in the previous night's pleasures. ".Yeah, we do," he sighed. "Don't worry about it, we'll be fine," added Squall, seeing Rinoa's face constrict in worry.  
  
Rinoa looked up at Squall after she had finished dressing into her black skirt and pink sweater. "You promise?" she asked, staring at him lovingly, thinking back to their last promise.  
  
"I promise."  
  
Rinoa looked at her schedule for the day. Squall had asked her to check on the junior classmens' defensive training. He had given her a list for each small unit, and by the list of pros and cons of each group, he would decide where to place each group on the Garden; the strongest groups in the Garden's weakest place and weaker groups in the Garden's more fortified areas. Squall was going over the plans with the Air Unit, to make sure that each member knew exactly what they were doing. The Ground Unit was already in place in Esthar, and would ambush the presidential palace at exactly 1345 hours the next day.  
  
Irvine and Zell were with the Air Unit, helping the less experienced SeeDs. Although the two were often quite goofy, Squall found that both of them got serious if the situation called for it.  
  
Quistis, as an instructor (Squall had had Quistis reinstated as an instructor), stayed at the Garden, with her defensive unit, while Selphie was in the Ground Unit, causing Irvine to worry endlessly about her.  
  
Rinoa would be staying at the Garden, making sure that Squall could communicate with everyone at the Garden and in the Ground Unit. Squall was going with the Air unit to supervise.  
  
Rinoa was worried about Squall, but she had to do her work, and couldn't let him down. She looked at the first group on her list. Group A / Instructor: Abellos, R. The group was one of the youngest, with thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds. The group had worked hard, but they were still quite young and inexperienced. 3 out of 10 stars. Group is best with long range weapons.  
  
She moved through her list, finally getting to the last group, Group F(3) / Instructor: Xellas, K. The group was good, a group of fifteen-year-olds. They were extraordinarily well with rope type weapons, good to stun the enemy. She gave the group 7 out of 10 stars.  
  
She had been impressed with Quistis's group when she had come to it. They were sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds on the verge of becoming SeeDs. They were best with long swords and guns, and would probably placed in the spot with the least defense. Rinoa prayed for Quistis's safety.  
  
At the end of the day, Rinoa came in to check on Squall. He was not tired at all, but working to get everything done on time. After he finished, it was nearly midnight.  
  
"Thirteen hours and forty-five minutes. Are you nervous?" asked Rinoa, looking at Squall with a very concerned look on her face. "A little," confessed Squall, who had risen from his chair and was walking toward the sofa. Rinoa followed him slowly as he sat down.  
  
"Wait a minute-your actually frightened?" she asked, in mock astonishment. Squall looked at her and became defensive.  
  
"No, I'm just concerned about the attack. I don't want to lose more troops than I have to," he replied. Rinoa looked away and stared at a spot on the wall. "Yeah, I'm worried, too. Especially since all of you are going to be out there fighting, risking your lives, while I sit in here, cozy and safe. I just feel a little guilty, that's all," she said, looking back at the man she loved. "I'm worried about Quistis and Selphie and Zell and Irvine. I'm worried about you."  
  
Squall forced a reassuring smile and rose from his spot on the soft couch. "Well, you don't need to worry about us. We have been in worse spots, I suppose," he said, even though Rinoa's face was still tense with worry. "We should really get to bed." Squall suggested, thinking about the long day that lay ahead of him.  
  
Rinoa stood up and walked to the door. "Yeah," she began. "I'm exhausted." She walked into the dimly lit hall, followed closely by Squall. They walked to the dorms, leaving each other after a long kiss and a "Good night."  
  
Squall walked into his room, seeing Zell on the couch, obviously having fallen asleep while watching a television show. Squall clicked off the set and moved towards his bed, bothering only to kick off his boots before dropping onto the mattress. He lied down, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to erase all of the battle plans from his mind in vain.  
  
Squall walked to his office at around eight that morning, only to find that Rinoa was already there, straightening out his papers and organizing the orders for each group.  
  
"Hey," said Rinoa in her usual cheerful tone, a big smile on her face. "I was just getting things ready for you."  
  
"Yeah, sure," Squall voiced, irritated that he would not be alone to think this morning. His mind was racing over the battle plan.  
  
First, the Air Unit would swoop in, signaling the Ground Unit to begin attacking. Then, the Ragnarok would begin to unload SeeDs to assist in the battle around the presidential palace. Squall and a few high-ranking SeeDs would drop down into the walkway that led to President Loire's office. They would find and capture Loire and bring him back to the Garden for interrogation. As soon as enough Esthar soldiers were terminated, the Air and Ground Units would flee from Esthar to shuttles awaiting outside of the huge city. The SeeDs would then be taken back to the Garden.  
  
'The plan is nearly fool-proof for SeeDs,' Squall thought. 'The junior classmen are just forming defenses around the Garden in the minuscule chance that Esthar forms and executes attacks before the rest of the SeeDs may return. 'Not many casualties for either side, if we move quickly,'  
  
"Are you okay?" asked Rinoa, noticing Squall's unobtrusive manner. He looked up, pushing strands of hair out of his sight, scowling. "I'm thinking," he muttered.  
  
Rinoa scrunched up her face in confusion. "Are you okay?" she inquired meekly.  
  
Squall scowled once again, deciding to ignore her. "I have to speak with the Air Unit in an hour," he read from his schedule. "I need to give the junior classmen their orders."  
  
"Oh, let me get that," Rinoa said in a hurt tone. "I don't want to be in your way."  
  
"Then perhaps you should run along now," Squall spoke impatiently, wishing her gone.  
  
"Geez, okay then, commander, I didn't realize that I was such a nuisance," Rinoa returned, becoming slightly angered by his detached mood, after he was so nice earlier.  
  
"Whatever." Squall muttered in vexation. "Shouldn't you go off now? Your commander has to think," he said after a few moments of Rinoa just standing there, staring into his intense blue eyes in disbelief.  
  
"Uh-yeah," she spoke softly, running her fingers through her raven hair to keep it out of her pale face. She grabbed the assignment sheets and walked out the door, stifling frustrated, bitter, heart-broken tears.  
  
'Crap,' Squall thought. 'I did it again. I screwed it up. I should have at least been nice to her.' He got up and went down the hall after.  
  
'I never would have done this before her,' he thought, finally catching up to the sad raven-haired beauty.  
  
"Wait, Rinoa, please?" Squall pleaded, trying to explain. Rinoa whirled around, catching Squall off guard, who barely stopped in time to avoid a collision with her tiny yet defiant body.  
  
"Yes?" she asked in irritation.  
  
"I want to apologize.I'm just a little tense, okay?" he said, hoping she would accept that as a decent reason for him to snap at her.  
  
Rinoa looked at him defiantly, before finally giving in. "Yeah, okay, I'll give you that one," she stated playfully. "I know your trying to hype yourself up, or, however you prepare for a battle," she continued, looking at him questioningly.  
  
"I'm going to go and continue working." said Squall, kissing her on the cheek and returning to his office.  
  
Rinoa triumphantly walked down the hall to lecture to the Air Unit, feeling as if she had just slain the most powerful beast in existence.  
  
Squall sat in his chair, wishing it didn't have to come down to this. He had already lead SeeD into one war, and now another. At least last time he hadn't sucked everyone into his personal problems; the whole Garden believed that he was just settling a father-son squabble.  
  
'Whatever,' he thought despondently.  
  
Hehe, maybe I should get out a flame resistant suit. Thanks to Collette, otherwise known as Stella-Dreamer (I'm dragging you down with me) for helping me out and not letting me destroy all remnants of this pathetic little piece of writing. Please review, tell me I suck, whatever, just REVIEW! This is a bad story. I'm sorry. 


	2. DDay

Disclaimer: Squall and his little buddies all belong to Squaresoft

Chapter 2            D-day

She looked quite out of place; her bright yellow dress wasn't exactly inconspicuous for three o'clock in the morning in the silent city. The streets of Esthar were littered with vagrants, poking through trash and looking up at the cheerful brunette threateningly. Selphie was walking in the shadows, like Squall had told the Ground Unit to, but was just as hidden from view as was the neon sign above the stores she was walking towards. 

Selphie was hoping to find a dark alley or stoop to rest by, not wanting to attract attention by checking into a hotel. She finally found what she was looking for, and plopped down onto the ground, leaning her back against the wall of what looked like a pet store.

Reaching into her brown suede bag, Selphie sorted through her items for lack of anything better to do. Her bag was cluttered with potions and such, along with her nunchakus and a picture of Irvine.

She smiled as she took out the picture. Though she couldn't see very well in the dark alley, she could imagine his face in the picture. He had on his funny little smirk and was tipping his hat to the camera.

"Irvy…" whispered Selphie with a wide smile on her face. Her sweet thoughts were interrupted when she heard a garbage can tip in the darkest corner of the alley. With a speed which surprised even herself, Selphie jumped into a defensive position, her nunchakus in hand. 

"Hey there," she said, trying to sound friendly, trying to lure out whatever had made the sound. "Come on now, I won't hurt you…" she lied. She would break the kneecaps of the first thing she saw.

That was her plan, simple but effective, until she felt the barrel of a gun against her neck. The attacker cocked the gun, the tiny click reverberating loudly in the cramped space. 

"Phooie," she said, dropping her nunchakus and raising her hands above her head. "What do you want?" 

The attacker pressed the gun more harshly to her neck. "That purse looks quite expensive, may I ask what you have in it?" came the deep, gruff voice of the assailant as he edged towards Selphie's purse. 

Taking the risk that the man was now vulnerable to an attack, Selphie spun, wrenching the attackers arm. The man fired once at Selphie, missing, before she kicked him in the gut. Selphie reached for the gun, but another assailant grabbed Selphie from behind, pinning her against the pet store wall. 

"No fair…" she mumbled as the attacker rammed her against the wall hard, not only winding her, but breaking a rib. Selphie groaned in pain as the other man turned her around and punched her sensitive ribs, breaking another, and released her. The injured girl slid to the ground, in too much pain to notice that she had fallen into a pile of garbage. As she lay, the other man kicked her in her face. "Damn bitch," he grunted, before turning and walking away. The second assailant picked up her purse, sifting through it.

"What's this? Looks like you're in SeeD...hehe, maybe this'll get the cops off my case..." the man wondered aloud, hoping to further anger the young SeeD, but he spoke to deaf ears, as Selphie had already gone unconscious from the pain.

                    *                                                  *                                                          *

"Hey, Selphie, that's your name, right? Okay Selphie, I think we are going to need to have a little talk," came a gentle, if not impatient voice. The girl opened her eyes, groggy with sleep and tears. Focusing, she looked up at an unfamiliar man staring down at her. 

"You're…Esthar soldier," realized Selphie, heart sinking. 'Darn, they caught me,' she thought, wishing someone would knock her unconscious again.

"Yes," came a second voice, which sounded less than lenient with the girl. "Come on, the advisor wanted to waste no time."

"Advisor? Wait, what does the advisor want with me?" she asked, though she already knew the unpleasant answer. 

The soldier that had been impolite with Selphie earlier replied, "You know why. Hell, SeeD knows all about interrogations, don't they?" 

Selphie decided that to lie would be the best course of action at the moment. "Ummm, oh yeah! Geez, I'm so sorry. I'm on vacation, just went on a mission, the commander decided to give me a week off, and, well, I guess I couldn't find a hotel, so I went into the alleyway, and then I got mugged..."

"Yes, well, don't tell us, tell the advisor," interrupted the nicer soldier, afraid that if he didn't interrupt her she would never stop talking. He picked her up, no longer being patient and gentle, and shoved her ahead. "Get walking."

Rinoa looked at the huge group, the Ground Unit, most looking back at the girl nervously, who could only offer them a courageous smile.

'How am I courageous?' she thought. 'All I have to do is sit around and connect Squall to whoever he wants to talk to on the phone lines.' She felt guilty, even though Squall made a good point, that she should remain safe because she was what Loire wanted. 

"Okay, you guys. Just a quick briefing of the events that will be coming." Rinoa looked up from the paper she was reading from to see if  the SeeDs were still paying attention to her, or if they were too lost in their own thoughts to care about what she was saying. She continued, "Today, we will be invading Esthar, but the attack will be low key, just to remind Esthar that we are the dominant force in this conflict. There is to be a minimal amount of...casualties." 

Rinoa hated to think of the deaths of the SeeDs, the death of her friends, the death of Squall...

"Anyways, you guys will be serving as a distraction for the commander and his squad to go in and take the president as hostage. According to a predictions, the whole operation should take no longer than thirty minutes," she read, looking back up at the all but confident faces.

"Don't worry," she added, hoping to make the tension lessen. "This is nothing. You are SeeD, right? Go get 'em!" she finished, expecting a loud, sure chant, but getting only a small grunt, if anything at all.

Rinoa sighed and began to walk away, only to be tapped on the shoulder by Irvine. "Hello, there, how are you?" he asked, trying to make polite conversation.

"Eh," she said, trying to sound as though she wasn't worried. "I guess I'm worried about you guys."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine. We killed a sorceress, they're hard to kill!" he joked. 

"Hello there, do I look that difficult to take down?" Rinoa asked, playing along with his little joke.

"Well, there's that dog of yours...and your knight could kill with one of his evil glares..." he continued, chuckling. 

Rinoa looked back at him, rolled her eyes, and informed him quite rudely that he had a battle to prepare for. She smiled. The small conversation had been enough to lift her spirits from her downcast mood. 'Maybe it will all be alright," she thought, though she couldn't shake the bad feeling she had about the attack.

                        *                                              *                                              *

Squall looked up from the looming stack of papers that seemed to have engulfed his now unrecognizable desk. The black standard-issue phone rang in its shrill tone, demanding to be answered.

"Hello," grunted Squall, as he looked over the paperwork that had the statistics of the Garden's current funds, and how much money the raid was eating up. 'Too much…' he thought, being jerked back to reality by a panicked voice on the other line.

"S-Sir! We have a slight, uh, problem!" stuttered what sounded like a young man. "Spit it out," instructed Squall, growing impatient of the young SeeDs reaction to what he figured was a minuscule difficulty. 

"Commander Leonhart, I, I saw Tilmitt being taken away by an Esthar patrol. They kept addressing her as a SeeD. I think our cover's been blown!" he spat out so quickly, that it took a second or so for Squall to soak in all of the information. "Shit," he said, breathless. "Anything else you know?" he said, now a vulture for information. "No, Sir!" the young SeeD said. 

Squall hung up without a formal good-bye, just a grunt and a heavy sigh. He got up, knowing that somebody had to tell Irvine. 'Maybe Rinoa…' he thought, trying desperately to get out breaking the news. 'She's good with that.' 

There was no telling to how Irvine would take the news. He was a strange one. He would get very emotional, Squall knew that much, but what emotion the gunmen would feel, he had no idea. Him and Selphie had begun to get very serious. Irvine had stopped flirting with other girls like he used to, and people had seen them sneak into eachother's rooms past curfew. 

Squall mentally criticized himself for being worried about the issue so much, for being so…soft. Selphie would not divulge any of the Garden's plans, she was quite stubborn. The attack would go on as planned. He would not worry about Irvine—how he coped was his business.

Squall rammed into Rinoa, who also seemed to be deep in thought, and both nearly fell. He put his hands on her waist to steady her; she was about to fall backwards, and her arms were flailing. "Whoa, thanks," she said, smiling, thankful for the support. Once she was steadied, the couple crouched down to pick up the reports she had been carrying at the time.

"Uhh, Rin, could I ask you for a favor?" ventured Squall, unsure of how Rinoa would feel at the news of her friend being captured. "Sure, what is it?" she asked, curiously. "Uhh, I need you to tell Irvine something."

Rinoa could tell that Squall was uncomfortable. He always got uncomfortable in sensitive situations. "What happened, hon?" she asked, trying to help Squall pull himself out his awkward state.

"Selphie was caught by Esthar police. I need you to tell Irvine, because, your better at it, or, whatever…" he trailed off, helping her up and brushing imaginary dust particles off of his pants. Rinoa was disappointed that he didn't have the courage, but ultimately agreed. 'Someday,' she thought wistfully, 'he'll be compassionate. He'll, smile a lot, and he'll maybe even cry… a little,' she added, hoping the day would come, though she really didn't see any of her hopes occurring anytime soon.

                        *                                              *                                  *

Irvine looked up from his shotgun to see Rinoa peering over him. He was cleaning the barrel, trying to pass time. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "Hello, didn't I just see you?" he asked, wondering what caused her to return after only ten minutes. "What's up?" he asked innocently, turning back to his shotgun. "Okay, I'm just gonna tell you," she said, to unimaginative at the moment to continue with a casual conversation. Irvine looked up, slightly concerned at the dramatic change of tone. "Selphie was seen being taken into Esthar custody. They know she's SeeD. We don't know much else. Sorry," she finished, breathless and waiting for a response. 

"Really?" he asked, slightly disbelieving. "They actually captured her," he continued. His face was pained, but he instantly turned carefully emotionless. "All the more reason to kick Estharian ass, right?" 

'He's angry…' she thought, considering the other path he could have taken. 'It's better than being depressed. I just hope he isn't reckless…'

"It'll be all right," she said, not knowing how to respond to that comment. She absently pat his back and walked in the direction of Squall's office.

Selphie was dragged into the presidential building, to be questioned by some of the president's toughest interrogators. She already had it set in her mind. She would not say a word, perhaps opening her mouth every couple of minutes to say something extremely rude about Esthar or about her interrogators suit. 

"Sit down," ordered one of the officers, who went over to the door to her right and, after a moments questioning by the doorman, stepped inside. The other officer stood near where she sat on the hard metal chair. "So, really, what is SeeD here for?" he asked casually, though Selphie could see that he was really eager for information.

"I'm tired," she stated simply, making it clear that she wasn't answering any questions. 

"Listen, you gotta tell anyways, might as well tell me," the officer stated in his high, stringy voice. 

"Do you have any water?" she asked irritably. She was about to take this guy out, handcuffs or not. She wriggled in her chair, trying to find the most comfortable position in the hard, plastic seat.

"Stop being a little…" the officer began, but he was interrupted by a voice on the radio. "Send her in," the voice said, and it sounded like it belonged to a middle aged man. 

The officer looked at Selphie, his face twisted into disgust. "C'mon, SeeD scum."

Rinoa looked around the empty office that Squall had just occupied moments ago. "Hmm, wonder where he went?" she thought, closing the door and walking towards one of the massive windows in the hall. 'I hope we're all okay…'

Squall was in the infirmary with Dr. Kadowaki. "Squall, these are my best assistants. They can fight, if need be," the middle aged woman looked over the ten young men and women with pride. "I'll take your word for it, Dr." Squall said, looking over to the students. "You guys are prepared, for anything, right?"

The group nodded, if not hesitantly. This would be all of their first battles in which they would be medics. 

"Good, meet with the Air unit at 1300 hours. That is about four hours away. Get some rest, but don't be late," he commanded, before leaving to go to his room. He had a space in his schedule, so he decided he would take a nap.

As he walked into his room, which had been neglected the past couple of days, he found Rinoa in the kitchen area, making something. Her she had her hair pulled back, and she was piling lunch meats and vegetables onto a slab of bread. 

"Oh, Squall, hi, I made you a sandwich," she said as she saw him. She lifted the finished product up and onto a plate, which she gave to him.

"Thanks," he said, eating the for the first time in what seemed like centuries to him.

Rinoa sat down for a moment, but stood up with urgency. She washed her hands and began to clean his room, his curious eyes on her.

"What are you doing?" he chuckled, nearly choking on his sandwich. "What does it look like…keep eating, you'll need your strength,"

"Yeah, okay mom," he said sarcastically, piling another bite into his mouth. "What's up with you?"

"I'm just helping you out. It's disgusting, how you live, you know. So messy!"

"Well, I haven't had time!" he defended through a full mouth. "I'm busy…"

"Well, that's no excuse…" she replied, throwing some dirty shirts into a laundry basket he assumed was hers. He didn't own one. "Squall, how risky is this?" Rinoa asked, not wanting to seem too worried. 

"There's no telling," he said calmly. His coolness made her feel better. If Squall was afraid, she got terrified.

"Okay, alright," she said. She wasn't used to not being there with him in battle. It was too much of a risk this time though.

"Want some?" Squall asked, lifting up the remnants of his sandwich for her to see. "I'm full." She took the last bite and popped it into her mouth while throwing a pair of dirty underwear on his head.

Selphie walked slowly into the room she was beckoned to. She noticed a cut on her leg that had dried blood on it. 'Ewww…' she thought as she sat down in the proffered seat. The other guard cuffed her to the back of the seat. She sat back, looking around for her interrogator. 

"Hello, Selphie," came a voice from a dark corner behind a desk. The voice was smooth, not deep, but not high, either. It was cool, confident.

"Wait, you can't be…you bastard!" she said, just as calmly as she could. She thought about her odds of incapacitating him. 'Nope,' she thought. 'Won't work.'

"Is there something you want to tell me?" the voice asked patiently. 

"Damn you," she whispered. "Your own son!"

"Yes, I have my reasons. But you have not answered me. Anything?"

"Go to hell…" she said, trailing off into her own thoughts. 'The nerve…'

"You have no reason not to tell me. You have already been captured, you've already failed. There is nothing more you can do."

Selphie looked down for a moment, but stubbornly refused to let him get her. "I guess your right…" she bluffed. "I'm a failure."

"Yes, you are, but we can help you here. You will find help here. We will rule the world," he said quietly but passionately. 

"What are you talking about?" she asked, eager for the information. "Loire, I need to know if I'm going to tell you about SeeD…"

The shadowed man laughed, deeply and heartily for long moments. "Do you?" He stepped out of the shadow into a small light in the middle of the office.

"Oh…" Selphie gasped.

Irvine walked slowly towards the training center, looking down at his watch. 'One hour 'til we meet…" he though. 'Plenty of time.' He walked into the training center and was immediately attacked by a group of Grats. "Too easy!" he taunted, shooting at the groups forerunner. The monster immediately dropped, dead. He laughed and ran to the group shooting. 

As he ran, a Grat swung at him, and he avoided the clumsy attack by skillfully skidding under the extremity and shooting the Grat with a behind the back shot. He continued on his killing spree until each was dead and he was surrounded by carcasses. Irvine was tired, and decided that his rage was spent. For now. 

Irvine slung his gun over his shoulder and made his way to the meeting spot. He would be early, but he needed time to just sit around before battle. He stopped by a soda machine and bought a bottle of water with the small amount of gil he had on him, and made his way to the front of the Garden.

Squall put on his jacket and combed his fingers through his chestnut hair. He walked over to where Rinoa was and got her attention by clearing his throat. 

"I'm going up to meet the Air unit," he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek and beginning to walk away. "What, you still have 45 minutes?" she protested.

She grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back. "What kind of kiss was that?" she asked, pressing her mouth to his. She hugged his body against her own and slid her tongue into his mouth. Squall began to give in, but pushed her away. "I gotta go…I'll be late," he protested.

"Who cares…" she said, kissing a now unresisting commander. She grabbed the handle of the door he had left propped open and pushed it shut.

Ellone looked out of the window of her house in Winhill. The blue sky dotted with clouds was cushioned by the rolling green hills in the distance. She smiled and looked back down to the tea she was making.

"I'm so glad you're here, I just want to tell you…again," she said to the man sitting at her table. She stirred the boiling water and put the tea leaves in. "You need to take more vacations; its so nice here! You barely here about the rest of the world's problems."

"Relax, I've only been here a week. I'm not leaving anytime soon. I agree, it is nice," the man replied, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head. 

"How is that, uhh, thing your writing?" she asked, not sure what it was. Ellone knew he had been writing in his little notepad day in and day out. She didn't quite know what it was.

"Oh, hehe, that's going well. It's a short story, by the way. I've never written anything like that before."

"Yeah, big branch off of what you usually do, isn't it?" she inquired, hoping to learn more about the short story.

"I guess. I just it goes over well with the newspaper's editor. That tea done yet?"

Yay! I updated! Finally! I'm so sorry to my four fans out there, I've been busy with school starting and writer's block. I'm sorry, I really have no excuse. I was torn between updating or not, but I have decided that I will finish this damn story for my own personal satisfaction…yay!

 I hope you guys enjoy, though I know that this chapter is pretty uneventful, it will get better! (And I will start posting more often, maybe once every couple of weeks.) Please please please read and review! This is my first story, so any criticism is welcome! 

Oh, and forgive me for sucking the past few minutes out of your life :D


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